The Pelicans defeated the Warriors with a score of 141-105. Herbert Jones led an early onslaught of 3-pointers, while Jonas Valanciunas scored 21 points in just 21 minutes, contributing to a dominant victory for the Pelicans over the Warriors in San Francisco.
Three days after dominating the Kings with a 133-100 victory, the Pelicans started strong with nine 3-pointers, including three by Jones, in the first quarter to take a commanding lead against the Warriors. Zion Williamson and seven other Pelicans, including all five starters, scored in double figures, with Williamson contributing 19 points. Moses Moody scored 21 points off the bench for the Warriors, who suffered their fifth loss during a seven-game homestand and faced criticism from their home fans.
Jayson Tatum led the Boston Celtics to a 127-120 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves by scoring 45 points, with 12 of those coming in overtime. This win improved the Celtics’ home record to 18-0, setting a franchise record for consecutive home victories at the start of a season. Jaylen Brown also contributed with 35 points and 11 rebounds. The Timberwolves have not won a game in Boston since the 2004-05 season. Tatum’s crucial plays in overtime, including a layup and a three-pointer, secured the win for the Celtics. Anthony Edwards scored 29 points for Minnesota, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 points and 13 rebounds, and Naz Reid contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Victor Wembanyama achieved the second-fastest triple-double in NBA history as San Antonio defeated Detroit. Wembanyama scored 16 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists in just 21 minutes, marking his first NBA triple-double. The only player to achieve a faster triple-double was Russell Westbrook in 2014, doing so in 20 minutes. Keldon Johnson contributed 17 points and Devin Vassell added 16, with a total of eight Spurs players scoring in double figures. The Pistons, now 3-35, suffered their sixth consecutive loss and have lost 34 of their last 35 games. Detroit played their second game without leading scorer Cade Cunningham, who is sidelined with a strained left knee.
Jalen Johnson had a standout performance, scoring 25 points, including seven in overtime, and achieving a career-high 16 rebounds and seven assists to help Atlanta break a two-game losing streak with a victory over Philadelphia. Atlanta managed to tie the game at 132 when Johnson made two free throws with 1:07 left in overtime. He then made a crucial steal and sunk a three-pointer with 40.5 seconds remaining.
Despite Philadelphia leading by three in overtime with 2:31 left, they failed to score any more points. The Sixers were without Joel Embiid, the reigning MVP, who missed his second consecutive game due to swelling in his left knee. Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey contributed 35 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, while Tobias Harris added 32 points and 10 rebounds.
Myles Turner had a strong performance with 18 points and 13 rebounds, leading Indiana to a win over Washington in Indianapolis. Despite missing their top scorer Tyrese Haliburton, who was out with a strained left hamstring, Indiana had seven players scoring in double digits. Washington’s Jordan Poole scored 28 points and Corey Kispert added 15 off the bench, while Daniel Gafford contributed 12 points and eight rebounds. The Wizards have been struggling, losing six consecutive games and nine of their last 10.
Keegan Murray had a strong first half, scoring 21 of his 25 points, while Domantas Sabonis contributed 24 points and 10 rebounds as Sacramento secured a victory over Charlotte to avenge a previous loss. Malik Monk scored 20 points coming off the bench, and De’Aaron Fox added 19 points for the Kings, who started a five-game road trip with a win in Detroit the night before. Charlotte has struggled, losing 14 of their last 15 games, with their only win in that stretch being against Sacramento on January 2. Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 24 points, and Terry Rozier added 22.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 28 points and Jalen Williams came close to achieving a triple-double to help Oklahoma City defeat Miami. The Thunder maintained their impressive shooting performance, making 59.3 percent of their shots, marking their ninth consecutive game shooting at least 50 percent from the field. Williams recorded 19 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists. Miami’s Bam Adebayo led his team with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 21 points.
Coby White led the scoring with 30 points, while Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic both achieved double-doubles to help Chicago secure an overtime win against Houston. Chicago held a lead of up to 16 points on their way to their third consecutive victory. Despite being outscored 56-30 in the paint, the Bulls managed to make 19 three-pointers, with White making six of them.
His final three-pointer extended the Bulls’ lead to four points with 1:04 remaining in overtime. LaVine contributed 25 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, while Vucevic added 18 points and 15 rebounds. Alperen Sengun scored all 25 of his points in the second half for the Rockets, and Fred VanVleet chipped in with 20 points and 10 assists.
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